Trautman Family Farm

No one sets out to be 'unsafe'. And there is no magical line of 'safe' - it is a fuzzy line that moves in time, based on understanding of the situation. We can be across that line by a good margin -- or hugging the line.

Our approach is one of being across the line by a good margin, yet well within the limits of practicality on the farm, vs. a large milk processor environment. Today I will give some outline to what we mean by safe raw milk.

Raw Milk Safety at Trautman Family Farm

#1: Attitude towards safety: Job 1. Each day we think safety; it is not an afterthought, it is not something we think about when an inspector is due to show up, it is a minute to minute thought about what we are doing.

How do we keep the focus? We meet regularly; monthly sit down, weekly informally, daily continuous observation.

#2: Training: I have attended the Producing Safe Dairy Products short course, I get good information from the UW Extension's Milk Quality website. There are additional resources specifically on safe raw milk as well that I am familiar with. I believe ongoing training/review is a  great way to stay focused on safety overall, and current issues.

I am our "safety officer" - which means I am responsible for ongoing education, presentation of new material, looking for possible safety issues and getting them incorporated in written documentation. Although the safety job is for everyone, one person needs be responsible for coordinating the effort. That's me here -- it really varies by dynamic from farm to farm.

#3: Documentation: We are producing documents: for training, for operation, to share. The act of writing it out formalizes practices, but amazingly puts a discipline to what you're talking about and an order. Often issues are presented in novel ways by insisting on documenting them. If you can't explain it: You probably don't understand it. (ode to teachers)

Our goal is a HACCP-like document.

#4:  Well developed testing protocols, feedback mechanisms, monitoring & check-and-balance systems.

We are human and capable of mistakes. Therefore we plan  on systems to check our own work, and ideally, immediate feedback on unsafe practices. These are situations we create:

- operating procedures with 2nd person checking. Checks & balances: Between Julie & Scott - excellent communication - and Don Warren (microbiologist and sanitation expert) & Art Johnson (former dairy fieldman & dairy process expert). We are fortunate to have these kinds of resources monitoring us and helping establish better safety systems.

For example, how can we double check pipeline & bulktank cleanliness, monitor system performance. Regular equipment checking: Ph strips for wash water, chlorine strips for sanitizing performance, visual/smell checks, identification of 'critical points' of hazard entry....all documented. Maintenance schedules. Inspections. Data such as time/temperature. Complaint log. Event log.

- documentation trail for review and learning. Telling the story of safety!

#5: Holistic nature of safety: Whole-istic: Safety is NOT just sanitation! It includes everything; the people, the animals, the farm, our customers. Healthy begets healthy. Add great sanitation and  you have a very safe environment.

#6: Healthy farm, healthy cows, conscientous farmers, healthy milk.

Healthy farm: Excellent soil fertility - nutrient managment - diversity - monitoring - attention. See our soil reports! See our organic certification inspection reports (excellent)

Healthy cows: Very few disease events (talk to my Veterinarian!), robust healthy immune systems, low stress, monitoring (or as we call it, knowing your cow's names and everything about them), healthy diet appropriate to the animal.

Healthy milk:

- Excellent job of udder cleaning,(see our milkline filters) low cow/work ratio for excellent monitoring & cleaning time. 2 milkers per operator (instead of 4 plus). Well thought through routines & roles.

- Mastek mastitis checker used daily; (seen and unseen issues)

-very little on our milk filters: there are no 'whoops' recovery with pasteurization and we know it!

- intensive monitoring of udder health via DHIA and milk pickup reports,  overall coliform count, plate count, somatic cell (SCC) all well into the excellent range. For example, 80% of our cows have a SCC of under 70,000 -- under 100,000 is considered 'perfect udder health'. Our overall SCC is around 100,000.

- monthly pathogen testing routine (salmonella, listeria, E157:H7 E:Coli, Campylabacter)

Conscientious farmers: taking great care in filling of containers, great recordkeeping, sampling (we sample whenever milk is taken out of bulk storage), sanitary practices for ourselves - and communicated clearly to our customers as well.

Producing safe raw milk products is an honor and great responsibility. We understand the liability if anyone were ever to be hurt: our practices and relentless pursuit of better safety show that. This is an advantage of the owner-operator system that can't be duplicated en-masse on larger farms or in the milk processor environment -- where they do have their advantages of scale: this is - an advantage to the small family business.

Our goal is to document well enough our entire process such that any potential customer has a clear insight into how we operate, what kinds of risks there are - so they can make a reasoned decision for themselves and their family. As of now it is a farm tour and discussion with Scott prior to any type of transaction. Where else can you get that level of knowledge? From a food nutrition label? An ingredients list? Some PR BS from the company that makes it all look like cows never poop and the sun shines twenty four hours a day?

Getting close to your food -- your farmer -- is an essential part of this, and is by its nature -- special and worthy of extra consideration.

In looking at this: You ought take away the impression we are serious about safety. We can be trusted! Our milk IS safe and we deserve every bonus in creating this quality situation.

I am thrilled to discuss particulars - metrics - of our system with anyone.

In love,

 

Scott Trautman, Safe and Proud Wisconsin Dairyman

I am a guy. And guys, it seems, like history. It's a generalization of course, but I'm sure The History Channel could show its demographics. Now, guys, has this necessarily made us any smarter? Well, maybe not. But boy can we be fascinated in front of a good war documentary. Lift your glasses, guys, booyah!

The thing is, though -- if you're a history major, and wondering exactly what you're purpose in life is -- what job there is for you -- is to learn from history; to not make the same mistakes. In the understanding of the good of the past -- and the stuff we read so much more about -- the bad -- what can we learn from it and apply to today. I would humbly submit we do far more enjoying of history than learning from it.

Steve Ingham (head of Food Safety, DATCP) has what will prove to be this raw milk movements favorite quote of all time. Sorry Steve, but there just isn't a way to do this without it looking this...not good way. We are very appreciative you made it -- and you believe it. Unfortunately, I could spend literally hours talking about just this statement, in about 20 different ways.

I was sitting down yesterday with one of my favorite people in the whole world. I hope you'll look back at my earlier postings -- before this raw milk war heated up -- and see a posting about Richard. He's a bachelor farmer, he's in his sixties, he never milked more than about a dozen cows, he's done quite well in time, but even he would admit he's an anachronism in today's world. And he wouldn't use a big word like anachronism, either. He'd say it so everyone understood it.

Please honor Richard and read my posting about him; I won't give all the details here, only what I feel is important to this story. I love Richard, we've gotten to be good friends, and I respect him so much. He loved -- and loves -- his cows. God's work yet again that I found him; well before we were really interested in dairy, I had a compulsion from an ad in the paper, I had to call him. Anyway -- he ended up selling us many of his cows. He desired to stay in contact -- I was all for that -- and because of that, we've learned so much from Richard, that is now incorporated into how we dairy. And too, Richard has learned from us.

Richard is the everyman farmer: The quiet, the hardworking -- the kind of people that when the government says this, he does this. If the vet says that, he does that. Like so many people have always done. It takes a lot for him to get upset, and he like so many tend to their own business most of all.

Richard came out yesterday and we were sitting around the table, and as we do a lot, I asked Richard about the past. It came around to why -- why 50 years ago did we come to these pasteurization laws -- did it really make sense then? We often have to ask ourselves what was going on -- what was the context then. When Steve Ingham says "there have been pasteurization laws on the books for 50 years, there are reasons for that" -- he wants you to stop right there. But me -- I want to know. I hope you want to know.

Back in the late 50's -- he told me they had one of these home pasteurizers. Everyone did. They were told they needed them. Here are dairy farmers -- being told to pasteurize their own milk. In his case, they did -- everyman does what they are told, even when there is this nagging lack of congruity. They'd been drinking raw milk from the tank all their lives. No problems there, now they come along and say heat it up before you drink it, well, as Steve Ingham puts it, there must be reasons for that. So they did -- and yuck, the milk tasted terrible. Yet they did it -- until the thing's heating element burned out, and it went in the junk heap, and they went back to drinking from the bulk tank -- out of convenience rather than thinking too much about it.

That left me thinking about just why -- what was going on then -- what was the context - that this was such a perfect solution, to what problem?

First, whoever was selling those home pasteurizers -- what a modern marvel that was -- you know how that's going to go, right? You NEED this, not, you MIGHT need this, and wow what a way to sell something -- you could DIE if you DON'T. Don't ask whether this applies to you, that's a real small market -- EVERYONE needs ONE. Think of THAT market.

That's only a really small part of it though. A sidenote, that adds some color.

Those of you that were adults during the post WW2 period. The new age of technology -- think of the flying cars, the space travel -- how technology was going to solve all our problems, we dreamed big dreams and it was going to be a wonderful future. And -- better living through chemistry, right? Every problem had a technological solution; every life inconvenience could be solved with a gadget, or a product or process. Efficiency, streamline -- progress.

All the chemicals - plastics - came into society -- marketing really took off -- TV -- this was some golden age -- no problem was beyond being solved. Yet as a counterpoint -- Sputnik -- the Red Menace -- The Iron Curtain -- The Korean War -- The Bomb - this huge fear -- things we could not understand and we needed to make sense of them. Fear of things we could not see -- germs. Wow did science tackle every problem. And we did "solve" those immediate problems -- with chemistry -- with products -- in our naivete thinking there wouldn't be long term side effects. It fixed the problem now -- in our arrogance and pride -- we -- man -- are so smart, we have solved the world's issues, and did it make for a great economy.

Everyday people -- living in fear -- bomb shelters -- communists around every corner -- McCarthy -- and fear from germs -- what would they do to us? We can't even see them. Science was catching on -- but so much scary stuff we could only imagine.

So take us back to the farm -- what was happening there in the late 50's -- the same things. Technology, industrialization, growth -- yet we saw problems along the way -- things we couldn't quite grasp in the larger picture of things, but boy did we have easy solutions for the now. Greater rates of mastitis? Antibiotics. How could that be bad? In the milk? That's probably a good thing for everyone! And then we get to pasteurization: what a simple solution, it seemed to take care of EVERYTHING, no matter how terrible the problem -- it solved it all. Did it? No more than anything else, but as we moved forward -- pasteurization wasn't high on the list. We had so many more pressing -- more obvious problems that needed to be revisited. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, looking at our chemical use. But we never did get back around to pasteurization, to look really closely at what long term societal effects it had on us. Homogenization -- what a nifty technological solution for the housewife for her family, right? No shaking up the milk. Safety -- this is safe milk here, it's been pasteurized. Every responsible mother wants safety, right? Pasteurized, homogenized for your protection. Sells a lot of milk -- and fit right in with the industrialized model.

Along the way -- it became yet another good way to keep farmers in their place. You need us dairy processors -- look here what good has been done, you're not against safe milk now are you?

We can get really wound up in conspiracy; and not as though there aren't, but I try not to give into it. By what understanding of culture -- of history -- can we come to some sense as to why things are as they are today. Pasteurization seemed to work. No one was all that interested in looking at it any other way, it sure didn't seem to be a high priority problem -- so we didn't. And it worked well for those that were in the business to market products -- but ultimately against people that aren't about marketing products, farmers.

Our everyman -- our everyfarmer here -- Richard -- did not stop pasteurizing his own milk because he researched the issue, he did because his pasteurizer broke. Neither he or any other everyfarmers questioned much further, they had work to do, and they trusted the government -- the university -- to tell them what to do, and they did it, even though it ultimately has meant for their destruction and the benefit to others.

Here we are in 2009: and I can guarantee you a Steve Ingham has gone out of his way not to learn the truth, and how many he hurts in his ignorance -- willful as it is  -- how sad it is-- but know the truth will out  -- and we will look back at this time and wonder why did we listen to people like him when he made so little sense. It will be obvious when we are in the future looking at the past.

You cannot tell me that nature got it wrong. That only man can fix nature's imperfection? That kind of arrogance has brought us to the very edge of destruction of the entire planet. This is but one small example. Let's fix the problem, not solve the symptom. WHY does ALL milk need to be pasteurized? It doesn't. But if milk does need to be pasteurized -- you'd think an otherwise smart guy like Steve Ingham would have the courage and thought of his fellow man at heart to go find out why. Sadly, he won't, and more farms will be exterminated for his ignorance.

As always -- forever -- Proud Dairyman from Wisconsin, Scott Trautman

I am so proud of everyone that showed up yesterday at the DATCP board meeting. That took their time -- felt so passionate -- spoke from every possible place in society -- that raw milk is here, we're not going away, and that we need to be heard -- and respected.

Yesterday was Veteran's day. We honor those who's sacrifice is complete: with their lives - for our freedom. We honor them, and ourselves in our pursuit of what is right and good for all. To root out tyranny -- expose those that would hide in the shadows and do evil -- to the weak of all shapes and sizes. That is what we did yesterday -- is spoke of the tyranny at Food Safety -- what they are doing to the weak -- the family dairy farmer in Wisconsin.

We spoke eloquently, we spoke honestly, we gave a complete picture, and I am proud, too -- to say -- that the board members listened and asked good questions. Clearly they care, and we saw an important part of democracy -- and good common sense -- in action. What they will do -- what message they will send Rod Nuelstein - and Food Safety -- we await.

But know with every day our numbers grow; our strength, our confidence, our organization, our ability to talk to real people -- people that wouldn't know raw milk from raw fish -- will know of this war against freedom: our ability to choose for ourselves wholesome food, and of the terrible war that Food Safety has had on our very pride as Wisconsinites--in the form of the weak - the vulnerable -- our family farms and especially our family dairy farms.

I am no Martin Luther King. But I am inspired by him. His love, his wisdom -- his struggles -- his sacrifice - and I take to heart his words. No, like our veterans -- we cannot compare ourselves to the struggles of black people -- they are not (yet) literally killing us -- but there are parallels nonetheless.

The struggles to organize -- to take sensible people treated so poorly as we have been -- and for us to rise above and be sensible, rather than angry and hateful as they are. The struggles in balancing all the ideas that come about, and focusing our energies efficiently -- speak in a unified voice -- make them feel the love we have -- this makes us so very very powerful -- and such a threat to their tyranny.

I dream of the day where farmers everywhere will come together and speak with a unified voice. That we are important. We can get along. We will not stand to be treated badly, we will not be picked off one at a time -- we will not be cannibals to one another, picking on our own weak -- but we will stand strong, we will take back the countryside and we will show the world that we can feed them -- with pride -- forever, to everyone's benefit, and not a few. Farmers will be seen as the heroes -- and not some lower class of people. We will be judged by the content of our character and not by the ...what? How vulnerable we are? How easy it is to destroy us?

There are so many important issues we face today. What I find so ironic -- so telling -- is how many of them come back to peace on our farms, our ability to produce food -- what could be more important -- responsibly, and what that truly means to us. In our health, in our environment -- to our freedom --

Why here? Why now? Why Raw Milk for this battle? Because it is a place to start, a battle that can be won, to start turning back the tide against all of us -- a small battle to most -- but a battle we will win. And then the next, and the next, and the next - for the love of the world we make for our children, and theirs and theirs.

I can only imagine the love that Dr. Martin Luther King had, but I am able to better imagine it every day; as I see the people around me, how they act in love, and not hatred, I am humbled, I am grateful, I am more filled with love -- and how those aligned against us hate these kinds of words -- love, respect, honor, pride -- they don't understand them -- they understand only power, and fear -- terror -- manipulation -- and money and now. How they will wail and grind their teeth against us -- lie, cheat, steal -- who knows how far they will go. And we respond with love. With sense. In unity of purpose, refusing to give into anger and hatred no matter how tempting it is, and it is so tempting -- it is there within us calling.

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important. - Dr. Martin Luther King

No, we cannot compare ourselves to the struggles of black people -- but family farmers have become the underclass -- we can be inspired - and in their own way -- through the lynching - the death of our farms - the terror they have systematically designed for our destruction - Food Safety - Rod Nuelstein and DATCP -- we must push on, we must gain our freedom -- gain our footing -- we must have a good Raw Milk Law NOW in the state of Wisconsin.

in love, and respect

Scott Trautman, Proud Dairyman and Citizen of Wisconsin

Anyone wonder what the heck I was saying yesterday? You know what, me too. This is all so complicated -- and it does involve way more than just the farm itself and its survival. How do I see and act in the many roles I serve in. Messy. Complicated. No simple life here I'm afraid. Onwards!

 I have had the great pleasure of speaking to David Gumpert. He is a thoughtful person -- well regarded everywhere -- and he has championed and documented our cause with great thoughtfulness.

Solutions to so many problems: EDUCATION. The more we really know -- and throw out reactionary, easy, simple things to think about -- the further we get in society as a whole, right? The world is coming around to all these big issues of sustainability, and it is through education. No, not simple. Messy. As clear as we want to think everything is: It isn't. I have been and continue to try, in my own life, and own message, to strike a balance. One that may end up getting me disliked by...everyone. But there's now -- and there's future -- there's what we can do now, where we can head in the future. EDUCATION, and getting people talking -- to each other -- thoughtfully -- bravely -- is going to be what makes the difference. Not screaming at each other or just meetings of like minds.

SO: I will state my case here now for a simple act of education on your part. Yes you -- dear reader -- you. Today. I do not want your money. Don't believe anything I say. I'd like you to get ahold of -- purchase, borrow, check out -- whatever  -- a book that looks at this RAW MILK situation, and I'd like you to make your own conclusions. It is important in the grand scheme of things.

The Raw Milk Revolution by David Gumpert

Easiest: Buy from Amazon or like. Today.

Better: March into your local bookstore, and ask for this book. No, don't go to the shelf, even if it is pasted to the forehead of the person there, ASK for it SPECIFICALLY. Should a dialog start; GREAT. See what starts here with that?

BEST: Buy that book locally -- read it -- educate yourself -- then pass it on to a friend, and tell them why this is important, and now. Make sure they read it -- and if they aren't starting it, get it back and pass it onto another. Repeat. Ask them what they think. That book sitting on a shelf is only so much potential energy. Make it the most read book.

INCREDIBLE: What if our legislators were each to have a copy of this book? Passed on -- personally -- from a constituent, along with a thoughtful letter. The time for that in Wisconsin is very very soon.

There is nothing simple about anything -- but there are aspects of this whole RAW MILK debate that are -- and can be simply put to at the least get people thinking. My version of that is this:

Milk from the cow: Are we sure nature got it wrong the first time? Maybe we humans got it wrong? That all milk is a biohazard to be fixed by humans makes no sense. Healthy cows, healthy farm, healthy milk.

We need your support of our farm -- we are sure in need -- but we need your help on getting RAW MILK LEGAL in WISCONSIN even more.

This quote -- think about it - and what is said about Raw Milk -- crazy stuff -- think about the bigger picture:

 "Every age, every generation has it's own built in assumptions - that the world is flat, the world is round. There are hundreds of hidden assumptions, things we take for granted that may or may not be true. In the vast majority of cases, these conceptions about reality -- which belong to the prevailing paradigm or worldview - aren't accurate. So if history is any guide, much that we take for granted about the world simply isn't true."

- John Hagelin, PHD, from the wonderful book & movie, "What the (bleep) do we know".

All in love,

Scott Trautman, proud Wisconsin Dairyman and citizen

 

You cannot keep me down.

To keep me down -- you'd have to convince me no one cared. And I can clearly see that is not the case -- that more people every day care -- and they seek us out.

And to believe the world is a terrible place: One reacts to that in a non-constructive way. There are terrible things, don't get me wrong -- but people are good and decent -- just underinformed and not ready for certain things. That's all. And they'll get there -- too -- but not on my schedule of needs. All I can do is do the best I can in getting my message out there.

So many friends! How can I feel alone with the encouragement of all of our old and new friends. Thank you from our hearts, it is you that is the fuel of our courage.

I may well get to be friends with a couple people I count as heroes-- innovators, people like me that shake things up. People like us are always going to rub the status quo people wrong. We ask questions -- they answer because "that's the way its been" - time and momentum itself are truth.

I met Joel Salatin at the 2007 Grassworks conference, his talk was the highlight of that entire experience; although Cheyenne Christianson spoke -- another hero -- and Abe Collins spoke -- yet another. I remember so well Joel's first words -- it was straight to my heart -- it was about imperfect is okay when we are talking about our kids and their participation in our work. Don't turn them off by insisting on perfection. I have taken that message to heart. I took several other ideas from that short talk, too -- but the most important was one word: Evangelist. Joel considers himself an evangelist. Hey! Now I have a word for what I am. Me too! And from that moment, I worked that word over in my head, and fit what I was doing into it; like trying on a new pair of pants. How does it feel? Well, maybe a little loose--big pants to fill quite yet. Alright, then let's grow into them. How to grow into them? Educate myself. Gain more experience. Really listen: Find humility in my life and send the arrogance away. Well then: the pants are fitting better, and what do you know -- the crowd is getting bigger, more are listening.

I don't know exactly when things changed for me, and it went from just about my farm to being about all the farms and all the people of Wisconsin. Maybe it was looking at my children, and knowing how much I really could do about their world -- more than the excuses we all give --

But the truth is this farm changed me. My beautiful soils, so lovingly and patiently restored over the last seven years, and my magnificent cows - each a wonder of God's all creation. This farm, and everything we've experienced -- including this challenge -- have shaped me into someone that thinks not about myself, but us, and not about now but the future. That is a true farmer -- and citizen of the world. There is no going back, there is such pleasure, satisfaction here. We are making a difference, and the rate of change, of making new friends that believe as we do is accelerating at an exponential rate --

My wish is only to be seen by my state, Wisconsin, not as the scourge Food Safety needs me to be, but as someone that is wanted here -- needed even -- that for nothing else, we need some fresh thinking here because what's going on is not working. There are solutions -- sensible ones we can do right now. This Raw Milk thing is but one piece of this puzzle.

Patience. To be happy, to be healthy, to refuse to live in fear -- like in fear of my own milk - like they need us to be -- well that is the most radical and helpful thing I can do.

So ends today's sermon, other than to deliver on a previous promise of the world's most simple explanation of how the Raw Milk Laws of Wisconsin work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dym82i7LDeIo&feature=3Dplayer_embedded

Keep those (I mean emails) cards & letters coming, it is YOU that is giving ME strength.

In love and humility,

Scott Trautman, proud Family Dairy Farmer in Wisconsin

A correspondence -- one of many to the many, wonderful friends I have made here -- at such an increasing rate over the past two years I would say - this friend is facing the imminent loss of his brother to cancer. And he is seeing all this craziness I'm sharing with him -- but he is in a completely different universe of thought. He asked -- and I wondered, maybe, just a wee wee bit if it was wondered sarcastically, if I ever thought of writing books for a living.

So here was my response to him, from my heart.

 

 

But my love is already in what I do.

I love to milk cows.

With my family.

To work with my friends -- towards great things -- together

Beyond ourselves -- that we can know --- Is, in whatever small way,

Making the world a better place.

There is no better feeling; no better life.

 

I like the humility in being a dairyman,

Someone who works with animals,

beautiful, intelligent ones - which is all of them.

Those fools that would look down upon such a thing.

Scurrying around in the supposed self important world of their creation.

Here is the world of my creation - of my Creator.

 

I've come to a point with myself -- where I appreciate.

Everything.

And even a simple thing like milking cows -- the bringing them in,

moving them over, cleaning them, milking them, touching and talking to them - all of it -

is a great communion -- a great communication we have between us.

I am so relaxed -- and because I am so comfortable, I am able to communicate Clearly -- with my cows.

And they want to do what I ask.

And I want to do, what they ask of me, too.

 

There is coming a great time of peace -- for us -- for others -- That is going to build, grow, and be so attractive -- No one can escape the gravity of it.

It will still take years and years and years. But my children are being taught patience -- where I had until this point in life to learn it.

To anyone anywhere that would come to know us. I can firmly promise you love, laughter, joy.

And work -- and play -- an enjoyment of life truly lived.

I know that's not what you were expecting, , but you do know me well enough to expect some unexpected. In a good way.

Know my thoughts and love are with you and your brother. All is as it is meant to be. Labeling it the good or the bad, eh. I don't think ultimately We know what it is, and I bet if we kept backing up further and further away from everything, and could see all -- like God -- all there would be is good, all there is - is God.

Boy, , seems like I slipped totally up onto a pulpit there. But really, it's from the heart. I am thinking loving thoughts for you and your brother, and I am here to do whatever you'd ask of me.

Your friend -- the highest compliment I can pay anyone,

Scott Trautman The happiest dairyman there could ever be.

I (Scott) ended up down at the Dane County Farmers Market after milking Saturday. As I like to say, it's one of those scary sounding things that are just well, obvious, and not scary. So: I was listening to the voices in my head, and doing what they tell me to. That's right. The internal dialog -- which is focused, now -- so intensely on this Raw Milk War -- War on Family Farmers -- war on the Trautmans --- is getting really, really creative -- and is really joyful, playful -- and full of energy to experiment.

 So when I say I'm acting on what the voices in my head are saying: They're coming from love, and enthusiasm, and good, and just bursting out all over the place.

I called our great friends -- my daughter's godfather -- the Andres, Bruce and Cindy, if they'd be up for a little bit of naughty fun down at the Dane County Farmers Market. Of course, when do you want us. That kind of people -- always -- we are the needy ones, the Andre's are there for us time after time.

So we go down, park just off West Wash. Bruce on Camera. Or Cindy. Doesn't matter. You got my back? Yeah. Alright then, let's do this thing.

I've got a gallon of my milk under my arm. Freshly poured from the bulk tank into a gallon jar. Having been from the cows I just finished milking an hour ago. (don't look at me like that when you figure that out to be milking at 10am. We milk once a day). And a glass.

 We get out of the car, walk across the street, walk 50 feet, and who do we run into -- a guy with a placard tied on front and back -- "RAW MILK INTERVIEWS HERE". Guy with a video camera, like us.

We both yell out and run and hug, just like that. People are definitely looking at us now -- so it's MAX KANE, another common criminal like ourselves, raw milk criminal -- and he came up with this idea on his own, so did I, Kosmic Karma with a Kapital K.

So the Raw Pack here starts wandering around, you know, bustin' heads an' stuff, gettin' all rowdy you know. Wait, that didn't happen, although Max  can sure express himself on his feelings about, well, people, organizations he, like us, are having a way rough time with.

THIS is a TEASER folks -- we have VIDEO -- with what I promise to be world premier of the most simple explanation of the  raw milk law in Wisconsin ever. You will be shocked; you will be amazed; laugh, cry, etc. etc. etc.

C'mon people -- reach out to us -- help us defend ourselves in this war that DATCP is waging on us -- bring in your friends -- tell them this is important, they need to know about this ---

 See you back here soon -- with video from my morning on the square!

 

April 4th. Forecast: 3-5 inches of snow, after the wettest March on record, after the wettest February on record. Challenging keeping animals clean and out of the mud yet not destroying good pasture, as anywhere they are is a mess.

But spring is here, the warmth, the green, the lift of mood, the hope of a new season of growth: they must come even with these fits of weather-rage clawing at the edge. It's time to be ready for grass!

Most farms run a dairy and that's it. And that is quite enough, most especially when you follow the standard practices of the day. Milk twice per day, farmer takes care of the calves, feed stored hays, grains: that's pretty much a day. We've got lots of things going on here, we celebrate diversity- in income, in customers, in feeds, in demeanor, but they all have a way of fitting together.

With many things going on, a person has to have a time budget, too. It's easy to assume things take less time than they do; and especially where you wish you could have 5 people for one day, not one person for 5 days. So you have to keep a time budget and not go to the point of burnout or exhaustion. Often.

So our dairy practices are holistic -- whole-istic -- we the farmers are part of that, too, and it's important for us to stay engaged, enjoy what we do, and make money doing it.

What we do for ourselves: we milk once per day. The usual is 2 or 3 times each day, or with  the natural system, a calf, 5-8 times per day! We do indeed get less milk. 1/2 the milk? Well -- no -- but towards that, at least so far, with our skills as dairymen. Getting there.

October 10, 2009:

The above has sat in the 'draft' folder SINCE end of April. A lot has changed. And I'm not ready to say much of any of it without anger.

I'm arranging to have the dairy herd slaughtered. I guess that's that. Everything but everything worked, but no one cared.

 

 

This document was created back in early 2007 as we considered dairy seriously and searched for assistance to make this happen. Some of the timelines are now way off, but most are still in line, and the ideas have now been proven with a year of milking cows. We will indeed modify some ideas to better suit "reality" and the situation, but by and large, everything mentioned here works. One of the larger changes is the seasonality: From spring freshening, to fall freshening, that due to considerations that everyone, especially organically, wants to freshen in springtime, and so there is a glut of milk. Fall freshening actually comes out working to our favor in many ways that I'll discuss at a future time. -- Scott

Trautman Family Farm Artisanal Dairy Initiative

Project mission:

For Trautman Family Farm to add the last critical peice of our farm sustainability puzzle (100% farm produced income) through artisanal dairy: reap the rewards of our hard work to date: in remineralizing our soils, becoming certified organic and very capable farmers with a strong direct market following and marketing appeal.

Ours is by design a family farm, and it is our strongest desire to keep it that way, and to involve our children for now and the future in our operations, through strategic partnerships, such as cheesemakers, buttermakers and other dairy artisans, who appreciate excellent quality milk, from a farm with a great story. We will do our part: make excellent grassfed organic milk, along with learn from and interact with diary artisans to come up with excellent products -- both for the high end market, and with an eye for our local market, in an effort to revitalize our local farming community and make excellent food a reality for all people and not just the affluent.

History:

Scott’s grandparents farmed in North Dakota, and he spent quality time there as a child, and not surprisingly has had a lifelong love of farming. In highschool, in very suburban Bettendorf Iowa, he ran an ad in the paper to work on a farm, found that job, and even rented ground and raised pigs with the farmer’s equipment & facilities, one of his first entrepenurial ventures.

With the realities of "getting into" farming, starting to farm at that time (mid 80’s!) would have been near impossible, so off to college and eventually a business degree, with then work with computers in a business setting. This work culminated in 10 years, from 1994 to 2004 as owner of Global Dialog Internet, a small company serving south central Wisconsin with Internet services; known for superior customer service and innovation. During this time the now Trautman family moved in 2002 to a farm outside of Stoughton, 40 acres square, with later additions of 30 acres (now in transition to organic) plus another 40 acres in rented land. Through “dangerous reading”, and frustration with the Internet work, the family moved the direction of farming, and in 2003 started towards organic certification, planted the whole farm to pastures, and started grazing steers, raised a few laying hens and broilers. The Internet business was sold in 2004, and has allowed us the ongoing capital to proceed with our farm plans.

Fortunately at that time, too, we embarked on an agressive soil reminerilization & fertility program, and through extensive effort and education, that effort today reaps fantastic rewords in quality and quantity forages. Those investments will continue to pay for many many years.

Each year since 2003, we have added new dimensions to our operation, testing the waters and starting small to minimize our expenditures in ill concieved directions. We know from the past four year's works - that our strengths are in grazing and marketing, and in the diversity of animal related products, such as chicken, eggs, pork & beef -- all with grass as a focus. Grassfed-Organic is "the place to be", and we are there. From our "toe in the water" start in 2003 -- with only 4 steers, 200 broilers & 30 hens -- to in 2006 finishing 44 steers, 600 broilers and 20 hogs, all of which sold off the farm, not at farmer's markets or wholesale. We always run out of product before our next harvest. New customers average 1-2 per week. Our ability to meet demand - not finding customers is our limitation. Especially with Scott's background in technology, we utilize the Internet extensively for marketing and efficiency. As we are in the "place to be" with our products, we capitalize on new technologies such as YouTube videos, blogging to spread the word.

Our limitation to sustainability at this time is either enough land (we estimate between 2-300 acres as a certified organic direct market farm), or with less (more is NOT available currently) with maximizing our production (working well) and income -- which is where dairy fits in, along with our other direct market farming efforts. It is also important for us to have both product and customer diversity; this provide us the most resilience in a quickly changing market and conditions.

We are adaptive, learn and adjust very quickly. Our biggest asset: Julie and Scott are one great team - working together on the farm. We make friends easily, through our sincere love of farming and people and social networking. Small companies -- and farms -- that are successful -- can adapt to changing conditions more easily than large companies/farms. Rather than smallness being a liability, smallness = nimbleness, adaptability. In fact we have strategically chosen our practices and markets that do not "scale up" to large farms well -- and organic grassfed dairy is one that large companies will not be able to effectively "be big" at -- it requires the skills and reactiveness of -- you guessed it -- a family farmer that really knows their animals and can't be put off on low skill employees or in technology.

Having a family focus -- changes the nature of our decisions, as we plan for a future including our children, instead of just on this year's crop & how many houselots would have to be sold to retire someday. The whole package together - the products, and the "green-ness" - is one that people are actively rooting for -- for our success, in contrast to the conventional wisdom that family farms are in decline and cannot succeed in today's market. We show that does not have to be the case - with our success.

Dairy Initiative Plan ===============

"Make great milk and they will come"

First and most importantly -- make a great product for a willing market. And grassfed organic is that market, and the quality forages and management brings the quality product. It is our desire to be excellent dairymen -- but also know the world of the dairy artisan to better serve them. We are very quick and deep learners; it is not usual for the dairyman to get together with the artisan, but our desire is to break that detachment between the production of the milk and the product.

We anticipate partnering with one or more cheesemakers -- we bring the excellent milk. A possibility is to create an on-farm cheesemaking facility; with proximity to Madison & cheese facilities & bring in even "guest" cheesemakers, I'm confident we can find the right situation.

We would absolutely entertain a partnership where a cheesemaker puts a facility on our farm and makes the cheese. Surely there are budding cheesemakers looking for just this situation.

We anticipate that cheese made from our milk would be in the $10-20+ per pound retail range - high end. It would also be relatively scarce -- there will only be so much. Also some innovative marketing possibilities that I could discuss at another time to expand the market -- for example a cheese auction online on Ebay.

We anticipate -- with the whole package including milk, our farm, us in marketing support -- that we conservatively should earn $35 per 100wt fluid milk. I think it will be higher, but this is a reasonable starting point for discussion.

"Surround ourselves with excellence and success"

With the great products -- we will be of interest to those that can judge what is excellent, and do special things with that excellence. Artisanal cheesemakers such as the Willi Lehners of Bleu Mont Cheese, Uplands Cheese, Bob Wills -- and many more -- that know what excellence is and can help guide us, and we can take the responsibility and have the interest in their world -- and shape our work to best meet the artisan's needs -- all of them -- product and logistics and marketing as examples. As opposed to current situation with most dairy farms, which is "Will you please take my milk?". We can and will go far beyond that with initiative, enthusiasm and ideas.

"Quality is your best marketing: Customer service is right behind that"

We "get it" with customer service -- all too often those "artists" that are excellent, have a certain despise for the customer. We love people, we treat others as we wish to be treated. We know our customers beyond their interest in our products --- they truly become our friends --- and we work very hard to make it easy to work with us, which has meant great customer loyalty and a willingness for our customers to come to the farm rather than us having to spend valuable time at farmer's markets et al marketing our products.

"Our family farm is a marketing asset"

We would preserve our name -- Trautman Family Farm -- in the end product, because it would be to the artisanal dairy professional's interest to do so. We "clean up good" so to speak -- and are excellent ambassadors. A true family farm -- as we like to say -- we ARE that farm pictured on the side of the milk carton or on the cheese label. A happy family farm with happy animals.

Our newest marketing catchphrase says it, too --

"With every taste an invitation -- to see how very special our products are from Trautman Family Farm".

Come see us -- really -- and you will see content, clean animals, well thought out ideas throughout the farm. But -- you will see too -- that we are not an antiseptic planned "show farm" -- it is obvious that real work is done here by a real family, but certainly with a mind to visitors. That is a powerful marketing tool -- especially in the face of competition by large companies. No invitations to the farms there.

MARKET

I won't spend much time discussing the general market for organic or grassfed: They are growing very quickly, and certain events (E Coli for example) even in the past year have only focused more interest. But it is important to note that organic and grassfed is a grassroots movement -- there is no marketing board supporting this, this grows from the people on up. I believe very strongly that we are at the cusp of a wave of change -- very similar to the Internet revolution we participated in starting in 1994.

We have found that our customer base includes a wide range of people, but the most exciting and fastest growing segment is the young educated families -- that have not had health crises that bring them to more natural foods, but by desire to start their families right with healthful food, but also in support of their beliefs about farming, the environment & social justice. These are families that could be customers for 40 plus years!

PRODUCTS

Some flexibility here as of yet. With a high fat & protein milk, fat up to 7% -- we are thinking towards

- Grassfed organic butter (very little in the market right now)
- Grassfed organic raw milk cheeses that preserves as much of the original milk qualities as possible
- generally, products that accent the unique and healthful qualities of grassfed milk
PRACTICES OVERVIEW

We are a very adaptive farm; and much of this comes from absorbing information from trade resources, other farmers and media. In so doing, we have identified practices that satisfy many areas -- marketing, family life & sustainability. Dairy is no different, and it is intended, but with option to adapt to the situation -- to implement the following practices in dairy, based on success of individuals in this area, New Zealand, and in general from those that question everything about what they do -- as we do.

OAD (Once A Day) milking: First reaction by most dairyman: you're crazy. All the more reason to question it. It is being practiced very successfully in Wisconsin, and has the very important quality family life component to it; not "chained to milking" as much. Milk components are very high over 7% butterfat. NOT 50% less milk; 30% less milk, but put the whole equation together and result is a 10% decrease in net profit.

Calf on Cow: Works on so many levels, with the right situation, a Johne's free herd being very important, and a clean, grass environment another. Result is hugely healthier calves, larger and more productive; often they are starting to eat grass at 2 weeks old. Great for heifers and what will be beef steers: that will perform to their peak on grass, without need of grain and the associated health side-effects of feeding grain. This too is being done very effectively by "crazy people" throughout the state, and most dairyman -- for their own convenience needs -- and not the best interests of their animals -- will not even think any further about this. Another advantage to the small farm - it will not scale up to a 400 cow dairy.

100% Grassfed: We have found that customers desire 100% grassfed. They are open to being educated about using "small amounts of grain", but we find it a distracting conversation to have. With our superior quality forages -- and an understanding of the design of the cow -- quality forages are what produce the greatest quality of milk, and best health and longevity. Less milk? Yes. But more than made up in quality. CLA levels at their absolute highest. I am confident in the next few years research will find yet more reasons why grassfed is superior to any other feed system -- except for quantity of milk.

Seasonal: Which goes with 100% grassfed. The best health and milk quality situations are created in growing grass seasons. This too combines with our family focus and ability to "take a break" from milking in winter.

100% cow needs focused dairying: We believe strongly in the management philosophy that these cows are not here to do our bidding, but ours theirs. As a good manager does: How do we as managers provide the best impediment free environment to do their job? Vs. the arrogance of man and our need to bend things to fit our convenience. There truly is a difference in how you think of things if you take this attitude. For example:

Cows don't belong on concrete. Their hooves are not meant for it.
Cows don't want to be (covered) in their own manure; it causes stress
Cows digestive systems were not meant to process grain, and grain causes a great many health issues and definitely affects milk.
Cows want to eat fresh grass; there is no stored feed that can match it; it also happens to be the cheapest way to feed a cow.
A Family sized Dairy

That would end up being at most 50-60 cows; with our other products, we anticipate a number between 30-40, which would be a great number for us to know our animals very well, create a reasonable income & volume of milk to work with in a small-batch environment.

Our first year we anticipate starting with 10-20 cows; building to 30-40 within 2 years, with the likelihood of some aggressive culling to better meet our situation's best cow traits.

Jersey/Jersey cross are the best choice. Within Jersey, NOT the highest producers. The Amish in general seem to have the right goals: Easy Keepers. Surely there will be discovery and focusing on traits as time goes on. Focus on quality and adaptability to our situation.

TIMELINE:

Overall:

2007: Learning, planning, product determination, milking facility building & staging. What a crazy busy year, but fun, too!
2008: Start to milk, work out the bugs, continue building the network; build excitement 2009: Start making value added product
2010: Start winning some awards & with our other mature business aspects, be cashflow positive
2011: Look out, here we come!

Immediate Timeline:
2007-January into February: Discovery & Business Plan, starting training such as "Production of Safe Dairy Foods" Feb 16,17. Mid February: Discovery session with DBIC with preliminary business plan. February into March: Continued immersion and networking. Find grants, consultants et al for business plan. Complete financial projections. Mid-March: Trip to New Zealand on a Babcock scholarship to research above dairy innovations, very popular already in New Zealand April: Finalizing business and implementation plan. May-July: Mostly farming, but chipping away at milking facilities & equipment plans August: Complete financing Finalize milking facilities & equipment plans, sign vendor contracts, look to November build (I suspect this could slip) Have found and purchased our cows Sept-Feb 2008: Being prepared for a whole lot of work and catchup; finish milking facility, loafing/bedding pack area Attend Beginning dairy farmer short course (late October start) Other training/seminars/continued education Mar-April 2008: Let's start milking cows
CHALLENGES:
- where to ship milk year 1; quantity not huge
- assuring our cows are inline with our programs & we don't need major culling & purchase to adjust
- managing all the technical requirements
- staying financially disciplined
- balancing life and work
- all the things that will come up that we haven't even thought of yet

OVERALL:
- A balancing of farm ventures in cattle both beef and dairy, hogs and chickens provides a resiliency, a balanced "ecosystem" and stimulating environment and a nice product mix. - A balance in dairy of give and take: Less milk, better quality, higher price, superior calves, excellent longevity & superior marketability. We will definitely discover the balance point. - We are not concerned about our ability to market our products; we already are to great success.
- We desire to stay "family" -- which is not to say we won't be a part of strategic partnerships; hopefully we will with other family farms in the area for the future. This unit necessarily will remain and flourish as a family farm, and not grow to a ....not family farm, which would erode the credibility of what we're doing. "don't get greedy"; think within the family, think to the future.
- The "best of the best" focus has both costs and rewards. We believe the rewards far outweigh the costs, especially in the social and market conditions of 2007
- By doing "all the right things" -- we are aiming to win awards and spread our message beyond our farm. We can only legitimately do that with success of our own farm
- There surely will be trials, and it will take work and discipline for it to be successful, but with our skills, situation, and the tremendous amount of help available to us, an excellent shot at success
- Our current financial situation is reasonable (this said by someone who tends to the conservative and dislikes debt), we will surely have some tight times for at least 2007 and 2008, if not longer, but we are best motivated by adversity. We will need loans to fully implement our vision, but again we have a great team working with us to clearly evaluate the business proposition.
- We have a realistic expectation of the time and energy and sacrifice this will take. As our whole family will necessary be involved -- we get our "quality time" in work time.
- We embrace that activity is not accomplishment; that we will have the discipline, and create the situations to think our actions through, and not back ourselves into corners.
- For all the confidence we show here -- we know humility -- and are open to change, and not afraid to say "I'm sorry" and "I was wrong". We are committed to being open minded and flexible.
- We understand that for all the great planning one does -- that things will come up, things will change, there will be unexpected changes. And we would say that this sure makes life interesting, and indeed that we are at our best when we have to make the best of things. Stuff happens; we deal with it.
- We are optimistic people, and we waste no time or energy being critical of others, we focus ourselves on "what can we do in our own small way to change the world for the positive?"

Indeed the most radical and revolutionary thing we can do is to succeed.

Strengths:
- a strong entrepreneurial and business background
- problem solving and technical background that allows quick adoption of new ideas; a hunger for learning
- excellent communication abilities with strong networking for a solid marketing focus
- passionate love of farming and to share our enthusiasm and knowledge with others
- a relatively short time farming: no bad habits or preconceived limitations to overcome
- a super family team that works together efficiently and effectively and in respect of each other’s strengths
- the incredible resources at hand in Wisconsin to help people like us succeed
- proximity to Madison: for customers, resources & artisans
- excellent reputation and momentum through our current product offerings; excellent customer service focus
- ability to sell all our products without leaving the farm through strategic marketing and excellent quality products that make it worthwhile for people to come here for them.
- reasonable capitalization and access to funds for expansion.
- the hard work of organic certification and soil fertility at the home farm are done; quality simply will not be an issue.
- lots of help from the many many friends we’ve made along the way.
- access to some of the finest minds anywhere in soils and forage and dairy nutrition (my Midwestern BioAg network)
- the discipline of the organic way: solving farm problems instead of masking symptoms & taking the long view
- understand the hard work ahead and what we're getting into. We love our work!

Weaknesses:
- inexperience in dairy, but have quickly learned and adapted and will be using this year before we start strategically to gain experience and expertise.
- ability to expand land-wise; countered by “heavy thinking” to maximize income per acre, with available expansion, “icing on the cake”. Long term lobbying efforts for new lands have been made.

Concerns:
- (short term) shipping milk 1st year somewhere as we work through the kinks
- managing the myriad of details in
logistics issues of getting milk to a processing facility from a single farm or
assembling a processing facility here and finding the right dairy artisan partner and
complying with health and safety regulations
- managing our time to add this venture to an already fairly full schedule
- even with a year off start date, so very much to do and learn
- managing our cash-flow in 2007,8 until we come fully "online" with dairy income in 2009
- managing innovative dairy practices with a limited support network with those new practices
- a maddening amount of administrivia in support of farm dairy production?